Hello my Name is...Child of God!

Hello, my name is regret…I’m pretty sure we have met… Every single day of your life…I’m the whisper inside… That won’t let you forget… Hello, my name is defeat…I know you recognize me… Just when you think you can win…I’ll drag you right back down again… ‘Til you’ve lost all belief… These are the voices. These are the lies… How many of us have believed them And how many of us want to believe them, For the Very Last Time!! This world, our mind, the enemy daily pulls us down like the power of Gravity… Praise God, Scripture says otherwise…Let us start this new year with a new mind set… Hello, my name is child of the one true King I’ve been saved, I’ve been changed, I have been set free "Amazing Grace" is the song I sing Hello, my name is child of the one true King I am no longer defined, By all the wreckage behind The one who makes all things new, Has proven it’s true Just take a look at my life Hello, my name is child of the one true King I've been saved, I've been changed, I have been set free "Amazing Grace" is the song I sing Hello, my name is child of the one true King 1 John 3:1- Oh see What love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called His children… I am a child of the one true King What love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called His children Hello, my name is child of the one true King I've been saved, I've been changed, I have been set free "Amazing Grace" is the song I sing Hello, my name is child of the one true King We must learn to retrain our thinking when we have become a follower of Jesus Christ, We are no longer slaves to those sinful thoughts, but are freed by the gift of the Cross Phil. 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.” We must learn to 2 Cor. 10:5- “5 demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Jer. 17:9- The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" Those thoughts of defeat, disappointment, self hatered, regret, etc…must be prayed to refocus on the truth of God’s word…not the lies of our heart and our mind… Hello, I am a child of the one true King John 1:12 - to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…

The One who came, asks us to Go...

Tonight I want you to listen to this story very closely. At the end I am going to ask you tell me who all went to find Jesus? And who did not. Matt. 1: The Announcement of Jesus : “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. Luke 2 : The Birth of Jesus : “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. The Shepherds: 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. 21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. Jesus Presented in the Temple 22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” 33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.... 37 a prophet, Anna...She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him. Matt. 2: Visit from the Magi : After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. Purpose: There are Goer’s – Joseph, Mary, Shepherds, Simeon, Anna, Magi, : Just think about their experience, think about what it would have been like to see, hear and experience angels in real life, think about what it would be like to see the God of the universe as a baby… You see these people first had to leave their comfort to see Jesus... There are Hearers - not willing to leave their comfort...Those people who heard from the shepherds, King Herod, and many today will hear about Christ, yet will never be willing to go and see Jesus...to leave their place of comfort. Just think of the differences in these 2 groups of people with Jesus….those who went and saw…those who just heard…What impacts you more at times…hearing or seeing…if you heard about a miracle that would be pretty cool…but what if you were in the room where you saw the miracle??!!! Or hearing about about this really amazing Roller Coaster ride…isn’t it better to go, see and experience it than just hearing about it?? Many will profess to follow and worship Jesus, but the majority will never go and do anything for Jesus, because they were never willing to go in the first place to really meet Him, so they have nothing really share about Him personally…there is Joy in the journey of getting to know someone, that is how we have stories to share about our families, and friends etc…is because of our experiences with them…many people will never go and follow, Jesus, which means they will have nothing to share..which means they will never be able to worship Jesus..Seeing and worshiping Jesus and telling others about Jesus!!! The Joy of sharing what they found when they met Jesus!!!! Is better than anything I can ever imagine doing. No, it will not always be easy following God’s commands, we will take round about paths…but God still gets us where He wants us to go… His word has promised us that God is with us…He came to us first…now are you willing to “go” find and see Him so you too can be overjoyed and worship Him? Like Simeon and Anna, are you willing to wait on the Lord…being faithful and waiting on the Lord, and making excuses for not doing anything for the Lord are 2 very different things… This Christmas season, I Pray your realize the incredible gift Jesus is to you, and how He too had to "Go" to fulfill God's plan for the world...Jesus comfort zone of heaven...perfect and beautiful worship...to a world filled with hatered and mockery towards Him and all He did for us. God knew...Jesus knew what the cost of leaving His place of comfort would cost Him...my question to myself and to you who read this, is this...are you willing to go...see...experience Jesus...and worship Him? Amen...

A Substitutionary Ram for One Son, Another Son...the Sacrificial Lamb...

I have been walking through the life of Abraham and his family recently. As I was praying about what I should share with my teens last week, the life event of Abraham and his promised son, Isaac came to mind. Like many, I have read this event many times, and many of you have probably already thought about this. But for some reason it just really stuck out to me. And so I thought I would share it with you as well. Genesis 22(ESV) The Sacrifice of Isaac 22 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. 9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” Now just stop with me for a moment. God asked Abraham to do What? That in and of itself is a hard thing to swallow. But let's look at Abraham's response- "So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him." 1st- It is not recorded what was going on in Abraham's mind...one can only surmise his extreme pain and fear...yet he went... He had plenty of time to change his mind. It says he arose early. He could have chosen to sleep in...he could have gone out and done his chores for the day, fed his family. He could have even gone to consult some God fearing friends of his, asked their opinion on what he ought to do. Prayed about it for a few days...but no...what was his immediate response? "He went." Do we have that close of a relationship with God that when He speaks, we know Him that well and do not question it...and respond as obediently as Abraham did? It's a question I have to ask myself. 2nd- Let us imagine for a moment, going and cutting the wood for the offering...which would be his son...his precious, promised son. Let's really think about that...let it sink in a bit. Don't rush over it...with every strike of the ax, he knew what is was for. He knew that after that ax was lain down, he would have to pick up a dagger to pierce his son upon God's request. Really? Could you be that obedient? I too must ask myself that question. For those of you who are parents, we could only imagine how excruciating that must have been. The extreme psychological anguish that must have caused him. Emotional agony. Even physical pain he may have endured knowing what was coming. Yet...he obeyed. 3rd- O', his precious son, "My father!...Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” You see Isaac was very much old enough to understand what was going on here. And O', Abraham's amazing response, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” I do not believe this is a man who does not know His God. Yes, as human as he was with all that I described above, he still held out hope that His God would come through and save his son from this horrific sacrifice from his very own hands. 4th- "So they went, both of them together... Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood." Again, let's stop here for a moment. Where is Abrahams faith now, again...it is now only moments until he must do as God has asked him to do...Imagine with me, could he look at his son Isaac? Was his son looking at him? Were they both weeping? Let us not forget once again that Isaac is fully aware of what is going to happen. He was old enough to run, to fight, yet he too submitted to his father's will...and was obedient to what they both believed was the very end. His death by his father's hands. 5th- Abraham raises his hands...what most likely felt like an eternity, broken and desperate, maybe just waiting one more second for God to call it all off...and then..."what was that?" "the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” (Oh in that very moment what would have he been feeling? Think, feel, put yourself in his place. Imagine his tear-filled eyes, his aching body, the extreme intensity of that very moment crying out) “Here I am.” (and the angels response,) “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” Have you ever been relieved about something in your life? I am not sure if anything could come as close as to Abraham's relief. His shaking body, going from one extreme emotion to the next- Agony to Joy! Weeping to...well probably still more weeping but for another reason...untying his son as fast as he could...as they stared deeply into eachother's eyes!! "THE LORD IS FAITHFUL! Praise God Almighty, HE has saved my son!!!" Oh dear one's enjoy that moment...take a deep breath, Isaac was saved from the hand of his father. God removed the sacrifice upon him and placed it on a ram. (which should have been a lamb) But, let's not leave this the sacrificial altar entirely, just yet. You see, there was another life event that happened some years later between a Son and Father, with the same request. The Father was to sacrifice His Precious Son. His One and only Son- Jesus Christ of Nazareth. So, how do these two stories differ? (in many ways yes) but this is what I want to point out to you) This time, there was no ram to be a substitute...this time the Father had to crush and pierce His son... Like Abraham, God the Father, loved His Son...even more than Abraham, because GOD is Love...it is the fullness of who He is. It is the very fiber of His character and nature...Love is God and God is love. So when God chose to send His Son, to take upon the world's sin by crucifying Him, like Abraham and Isaac, both were fully aware of what all was to come. Yet the Father did not change His mind and His Son -Jesus Christ- the fulfillment of the Lamb Of God- the perfect sacrifice, not a ram, did not fight Him...He willingly submitted to His Father's will...and died for all mankind... Have you ever thought about how excruciating that was for God the Father? The agony of watching your creation destroy Your Son, because you called it to be? Yet scripture says it "Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him" Now then, why do we wait to respond to His great love? Why then do we turn our backs on Him? Why do we keep putting things of this world over Him, wealth, status, ourselves over and before Him! Look at what HE did for us! He knows and understands every pain you have...This is a good and loving God...